The Portland daily press., 1887-08-11
Crop Reports From All Around.

Crop Reports From All Around.
The prospect month ago was for a very
heavy crop of corn and rate of yield about
the average. Its condition in all the States
of the Atlantic coast is now uninpaired and
is of very high promise In Texas and Ten
nessee the condition has declined. In the
central corn region in the valleys of Ohio
and Missouri, where two-thirds Of the crop
is grown and the commercial supply is pro-
cured very heavy reduction has taken
place, which has made the national average
II per cent lower than last month. The
cause is the long continued drought which
has been severest In Kansas. Illinois, In
diana, Ohio andsMichigan.
In the extreme east and on the Pacific
coast the condition of spring wheat is high.
The barley crop promises to yield rather
better than was thought last month. The
buckwheat area averages about 90 per cent.
in condition. There is great reduction
since the first Of July in the condition Of po-
tatoes, almost entirely the result of the
drought The injury is severe in the west,
the losses during the month being fully 20
per cent. of the prospective crop. The fruit
crop is very poor. There will be few apples
outside of New England and New York.
The hay crop 10 also greatly reduced in the
west. The general average is So per cent.
The past month has been favorable to cot
equally distributed in point of time, drought
threatening at one period and damaging
floods following.
Is He Coming.
1t is stated on undoubted authority that
Notwithstanding the despatch sent to Provi-
dence by Colonel Lamont yesterday. stating
that the President has no intention of visit
ing Massachusetts at present, he will join
GlpVpl1nd Marion dnrlnQ fhp
days of her visit.
Civil Service Requirements.
An important revision of the rules and
regulations of the civil service is in prog
ress. Changes in the rules have been made
from time to time, until at last the regula-
tions which were intended to fit them are no
longer adapted to that purpose. Hence a re-
vision of both has become necessary. Among
the questions which are understood to be un-
der consideration, there is one which has
been thrust into undeserved prominence by
the opponents of. civil service reform, and
that is the limitation placed upon the age of
applicants by the requirement that they shall
not be more than As years of age. Mr.. Hig-
gins, whenever he has been questioned on
this subject, has grown eloquent upon the
hardships inflicted upon lifelong Democrats,
y
lives in the service of their party, find them
selves shut out from the civil service because
they are 46 years old. Mr.. Higgins has not
made himself familiar with the law
which he condemns. The 45-year limitation
applies only to the Limited examinations"
which are for copyists at $500 year, and to
the general examinations" which are to
test the qualifications of clerks who are too
enter the service at $1,000 or $1,000 year.
The forty-five year Limitation does not apply
to assistant examiners in the Patent Office,
to pension examiners, medical examiners, OF
any other examiners in the Patent Office; to
topographers, draughtsmen, sten0graphers,
tyDewriters, translaters, or any other places
in the public service which require technical
knowledge or special skill. 1t does not ap-
ply to any Office in the State Department,
not even to a c0pyist.
So far from having set up any new stan
dard of eligibility in respect to age, as Mr..
Higgins and his friends assert, the civil SER
vice rules have enlarged and br0adened reg
ulations previously existing. For 25 years
previous to the establishment of the Civil
Service Commission an ir0nclad rule of the
Treasury Department provided that no one
over As years of age should be appointed to
any place in that department. Under the civil
service law the limitation of age applies only
to the lowest grades of clerks. In the Postal
Service the limitation of age was even lower,
being 80 years, if the information at hand be
correct.
mdtne FCStdt SndnSSSs
The post offices at Baileyvllle, Washington
count, Plantation No. IA, Washington
county, and South Charlotte, Washing
ton county, Me-, were discontinued today.
other Matters.
Secretary Bayard has accepted an invita-
tlOn to deliver an address OF welcome to the
International Medical Congress. which
meets in Washington, Monday, Sept. 9TH.
Maine Pensions.
The following pensions have been granted
Maine people:
Ellen f., widow Of Erastus Daggett East Union
Hannah H., mother OF Amos M. Burnham, Cas-
tine.
Daniel, father of Franklin Tibbetts, Burlington.
Original, invalid, Moses ii. Witham, Canaan.
Jeremiah Mink, 0rland
James II. Mcintosh, Ynal Haven.
Isaac Lowry, South Cushing
Richard w. Withee, Caribou,
C0nyers Webb, Skowhegan.
William Haskell, Hudson, increase.
Sidney E. Edwards, Oxford.
George w. Day, Holden
Martin Brown, Topsham-
Philip z. Mealy, TOgus.
Gardiner L. Blake West sullivan.
Simon l.. Norton, Lee.
Albert .. Hall, Bangor.
Isaac ID. Fuller, Buckfeld.
William Z. Undair Palmyra.
Chandler Braekett, Washington.
JudsOn ROlfe, South Lubec.
James Smiley, Auburn.
NJ I. Allen Wilder, Dennisvile.
Timothy M. Bean, Loekes Mills.
ArtemlS Foster faSt MachlaS